A Clown and A Cashier
by Ella Ynrihan
Summary: An under appreciated cashier named Andi runs into the Joker when he robs her store. She hopes he will just forget her face and move on; but as we all know, the Joker never forgets a pretty face...especially one he keeps running into.Rated for Language
1. Chapter 1

A/N:Well, this is an attempt at a Dark Knight/Batman fic. I needed something to do and this came of it. No idea if I will continue this or not. It really depends on how much time I have free. For the purpose of this story Gotham City has a Winn Dixie. If you don't like it, go read something else. Well, enjoy and review gratuitously. I need the encouragement.

Chapter 1

I ran my fingers through my long, currently bound light brown hair and then fiddled with my earrings as I stood at my register, waiting. I was dressed in my horribly ugly and unflattering work uniform of a white polyester shirt, long black pants and a covering, faded black tied around apron. The last few people were still wandering around the large store I worked in, the Gotham City Winn Dixie. There were all different types of people there at this time of night, including parents with their children, senior citizens and a bunch of other random people just shopping. The annoying small siren bing-bong of the door opening and closing sounded over and over again. The clock was slowly ticking to when my break from the prison would occur. Unfortunately, at the moment, the clock only read seven-thirty. The store didn't close until ten. I sighed and picked up scanner gun from its holster as a little old lady pushed her cart up to the register. "Welcome to Winn Dixie. How can I help you tonight?"

The elderly woman muttered something as she threw her stuff onto the moving conveyor belt. I slowly rang up her order, hearing a beep every time I rang up an item. I finished totaling out her order when I heard a commotion coming from the back of the store. I looked up, across to the other cashier named Steve, a few feet away with nearly shaved head and bright green eyes. Steve nodded and stepped away from his register to get behind mine. I hopped over my register and hurried for the back. The old woman looked a bit confused at the cashiers being changed, and seeing me hurry off to the back of the store, but I ignored it.

I hurried down the middle aisle, racing towards the commotion. I could hear people yelling "Fight, fight, fight!" over and over again. A crowd was forming at the end of the store, just before the entrance to the back room. Two large, tough looking guys were duking it, trying to kill each other very obviously. I pushed throw the crowd, shoving people aside as I went. Many complained at my presence, but I persisted on. Finally I made it to the middle. I grabbed an ear on each man and pulled them apart. Both men looked at me rather incredulously as I pulled them along, up to the front of the store.

People stopped and stared at the sight of a five foot two woman escorting such large guys out of the Winn Dixie. Many gasped, but no one said anything to me. Finally, I pulled them far enough front and tossed them out of the opening 'OUT' doors of the store. Both men took off running as I came out of the store to make sure they left as soon as possible. "If you ever fight in my store again, you'll leave with more than just sore ear lobes! Count on it!" I heard a little bit of chuckling as I went back into my store. The people outside did not look surprised in the least at my outburst. They were used to me making such a fuss at people doing stupid things at my store and then watching me kick them out. It was a sad but true fact that I, a woman, who was not manager or owner of the store was the only thing keeping our store safe and in business.

When I got back to my register, Steve smiled at me, but mostly in a fearful, admiring way. He was new to my store and had only seen me throw maybe three or four people out since being hired the previous week. He was still wary of me, I was sure, but he didn't have any issue with me being the way I was as long I never turned on him. I smiled back gently, and turned back to work. Before I could finish putting the plastic bags in the elderly woman's cart, I heard the P.A. system suddenly bing on. I knew this was probably about me. It normally was. "Andi! Please report to the office! Andi! Please report to the office!" I was right. After finishing the old woman to the door, I shut off my register light and hopped over my register. I walked across the linoleum floor and to a wooden door hidden by the service desk. I knocked on the door softly and glanced around as I waited for the manager to answer the door.

Slowly the door creaked open and I slid inside. My manager on duty, Trevor, sat at his desk. His long, curly hair hung on his shoulders as he stayed at his desk, leaning over something he was writing. He didn't look up until I sat down across from him. He smiled his odd smile and shoved the papers he had scribbled on into a folder. "Andi, Andi, Andi…Want to tell me about what happened today?"

I sighed. "Well Trev, as always, why you were hiding away in your office, there was another fight between two very big guys, and I made all of the male half of human kind look bad again by dragging their two sorry asses out of the store. You can thank me later." I ended with a smile and went to get up from the chair. With any luck, I would have gotten away with that explanation because Trevor was younger, more gullible and liked me in a way that was more than a friend should. However, today I was not so lucky. Trevor put his hand on top of mine as if to stop me as I got up. I sat back down.

"Andi…we've talked about this. You can't keep kicking people out of the store for fighting. Call the police. Call a male employee. Hell, stick you head outside and call for the Batman, but stop trying to be a hero." I rolled my eyes. I knew what was coming. Trevor was giving me the 'stop trying to be a man' speech. This was one of the things I couldn't stand about Trevor. He was very sexist when it came to work. "See, a woman employee should be seen, found cute as she playfully smiles and takes care of the orders and does not go out of her way to break up fights. Andi, you're a good looking girl. Concentrate on always looking like a girl rather than a brute force keeping the store in business. I like you a lot, Andi…and that is the only thing keeping the owner from firing you. He listens to me. Me. So you seriously need to consider doing what I tell you for once."

I rolled my eyes again and got up. "All right, Trev. I'll keep that in mind someone is trying to rob the store or shoving someone against the freezers. I just hope you like all the negative publicity and insurance and health charges that will come of all this."

I turned and walked out. I could feel Trevor's eyes checking me out from behind. It made me sick. "That is all I'm asking, Andi. Now be a sweetheart, and check on what Steve keeps beeping about on the intercom." I slammed the door shut and came out from behind the desk. I looked over at Steve's register and saw sure terror upon his face. He was shivering and had his hand reached under the register, obviously pressing the call button in attempt to get help. A group of five men were crowded Steve's register. Slowly I walked over to my register, getting a side view of what was going on. I easily understood why Steve was afraid. All five men were in clown masks and had guns drawn, aiming at Steve's shuddering body. Very obviously it was the Joker's little gang that had been arrested a few months ago, but never had the Joker been known to do such a small crime scandal such as rob a grocery store. In fact, the last I had heard of the Joker, he was still locked up in the Arkham Asylum with all the other weird ones bent on taking over the city and that was months ago.

"Gentlemen? Can I be of some assistance?" I turned the attention of the gunmen to myself and off Steve. Steve still looked like he was about to wet himself, but less so when the attention was off of him. I moved behind the register, at Steve's side. I was doing what my manager had told me to do. "I know I'm not a manager, but maybe I can help. Did you mean to purchase something?"

The men glanced at one another and then back at me. One of the middle clowns spoke up. "We-ah…want to make a with-draw-al. We heard you gave-ah…cash back upon-ah…purchase." His accent and the way he spoke and paused was odd but familiar. I could have sworn I heard it before, but I shrugged it off.

"Well sir, what do you wish to purchase? I would be glad to be of assistance." I smiled gently. All I cared about was getting these crazy people out of my store with everyone alive and safe. I glanced over at Steve. He gave me a nervous smile and kept pressing the button under the register. With any luck, Trevor would get annoyed enough and finally realize he needs to call the police.

The middle clown spoke up again. "Well, since you vol-un-teer-ed-ah, why don't you come on over here-ah?" I hesitated before coming out from the register. I felt my heart race a little and sweat start to pour down my back. What did these men plan to do to me? I glanced over at the customer service desk and saw Trevor glance out of the office door before going back into the office. Finally he was doing something right. He was hopefully calling the police. "Well, well, come on then, sweetie. You did vol-un-teer-ah." I made my way over to the other side of the register. I stood about a foot from the four men. They all stared at me. The middle man who had done all the speaking grabbed me by my ponytail, and pulled me towards them. I felt like the hair was being ripped out of my head.

The man who had grabbed me snickered as he pressed my back against his chest. He moved his hand so his thumb and forefinger held my chin up, as if to make me look up at Steve. Steve now looked more nervous than before. It took me a second to realize why. The man holding me has a knife right below my stomach and a sharp looking one at that. I found it hard to breath upon seeing the knife. The man didn't seem to notice. "Purchase made!" He hissed. "Now give me all the money you have!"

Steve looked at me, looking for an answer. I nodded anxiously. The register dinged as it opened. The drawer opened completely, making it easy for the assumed minions to grab the register from the other side. The largest of the group leaned over and pulled out the drawer, not spilling anything out. He shoved it into a bag that has been hidden behind the counter. I squirmed a little, only making the man's grasp tighter around my stomach. "Hold still-ah. I'm sure you want to keep all your organs-ah." I then felt a pain on my side, a sharp one, as if being cut in half. I winced. I didn't look down when I saw the man holding me move his hand along the same hurting side. I was sure I would find out later.

I saw red and I felt like I was moving. But then I realized I was being dragged from my store. I couldn't pick up my legs. They had gone limp. I could see Steve screaming from his register, but I couldn't hear him. I thought back to one of the medical classes I had taken in college suddenly. I knew that I was probably trying to block out the sight of my own blood because I was extremely squeamish. This was my body reacting naturally. Either that or that man has hit something harder than I thought. I was still breathing, but I could barely feel my chest rising up and down. I then felt a sudden pain in the back of my head. I was looking up. I could feel everything going black, but I stayed conscious long enough just to see something. The man that had been holding me was looking down at me when he pulled off his mask. I saw the face paint and the scars. I blacked out quickly, but I had blacked out with one fact in mind as I did. The Joker was now loose in Gotham City one again.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well, here is the next chapter. I want to thank Joker-is-sexy for her encouragement while I worked on this chapter. Her little pushes of 'you must continue this story' while I was working helped quite a bit. Sorry for the short chapter, but I promise the next one will be longer. I am still trying to decide on a few things. First thing being, should I continue? Do you guys really want to see what happens? If you do, you need to review. If I am writing this story, I don't want to be writing it just for me. There is no fun in that. So review! Another thing is, if I bring up the rating to 'M' as suggested by one of my readers, would you all read this story still? I am considering it because no one wants to touch a rated 'T' story in the Dark Knight section. Well, give me your thoughts! REVIEW GRATITIOUSLY!

Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes, everything was blurry and white. It was probably the same feeling a newborn child might have after just being born. I felt as if was spinning. Slowly things were coming into focus. I could see some distinct shapes of black and gray. I could also make out some sort of colors flashing in front of me, though I could not register what it might have been. I blinked my eyes a few times, still trying adjust. "Hey, hey! I think she is coming to!" The voice sounded familiar, but again, I couldn't register who or where the voice was coming from. "Andi! Come on! Can you hear me?"

I blinked a few more times before finally things were focusing. I first saw a white wall, which explained all the white as I opened my eyes. I then noticed the different color posters of all sorts tacked to the wall and above them a TV flashing different commercials, which might have been the flashing from earlier. I looked down. My side was bandaged cleanly and I had something attached my arm, though it wasn't a needle because I couldn't feel anything in my arm. I looked up and saw someone looking over me. It took me a second to register the face in my mind. It was Trevor.

I winced again. Why did he have to be here now? Wasn't it bad enough he was holding my job over my head for the past few months? Trevor came down to my level and was looking closely at me, surveying me. "Andi? Can you hear me? Look, I'm sorry…just please. Talk to me." I opened my mouth to respond, but closed my mouth and frowned instead. "How do you feel? Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

Trevor quickly moved a tray of food from out of nowhere in front of me. I looked down at the food. Of course, it was hospital food. If he was wondering how hungry or thirsty I was, just how long had I been out of it? I looked up at Trevor again. He gave an encouraging nod and gesture, as if I didn't understand English and could only function if he motioned what to do. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Andi…" He tone softened as he sighed. "Andi, Andi, Andi…I'm sorry, I know this is my fault. But all the blame can't be put on me. How was I supposed to know the Joker would be out there?" I rolled my eyes again in response, still not saying anything. Seeing his reaction in me not saying anything, I knew that if I didn't speak, I would annoy him enough to make him leave.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Andi, look…I know this is all my fault. Just…give me a chance. Talk to me a second. I have been waiting two days to talk to you!" I stared at him silently. At least my question had gotten answered. Trevor sighed again. Apparently, I was wearing him down now. "The thing is the store will be taking care of everything. Your medical bills, your worker's compensation, everything. I argued with Mark back and forth, but finally got him to agree to have it taken care of. One of the stock holders in the store is Bruce Wayne. You remember, right? The rich one with the big house on the hill and the pent house in the city that would probably need a tank to break into?" I nodded slowly. "Well, after seeing what happened, he offered to pay for all this. Mark said Wayne brought it up before he could even open his mouth at the meeting. Talk about a man that likes charity case women, right?"

Finally, I broke. I was never good at handing name calling. "I am not a charity case! Never have I asked for a handout! I can do just fine on my own and I can pay for these bills! I have insurance, god damn it!" Trevor looked taken aback at my sudden outburst, and then relieved. I frowned. "What? So you got me to talk! Celebrate!" I rolled my eyes.

An odd smile tugged at Trevor's lips as he moved to sit on the edge of my hospital bed. "Andi, I am telling you this as a friend…and your boss. Take the money that is offered to you. It is better than going into debt. Especially now. I know you have this reversed male-pride-turned-female-pride thing going on, but god, take the money that is being offered to you."

I rolled my eyes and thought about it. Compromise my pride and everything I stood for to get a hand out of a few thousand dollars from a billionaire so he could look good because he gave money to a 'poverty' stricken cashier, and make people like him even more, though he is a womanizing bastard according to the tabloids? I think not. However, I wouldn't object to not being in debt over something like this and getting my manager out of face and off my ass about something like this. Whatever was a girl in my position to do? Slowly, I nodded. "All right Trevor. I think I'll do it."

"Good!" Trevor got up quickly from my bed side. "Now that all this is settled, we have to talk about you making an appearance for the press about this new development!" He picked up a clipboard from the chair next to my bed and start scribbling like mad.

I tiled my head to the side, like a dog might do when confused. Press appearance? What did he mean by that? "Trevor, what are you talking about?" Trevor smirked. I knew what he was planning right then. Milking this thing for all it was worth to make himself and the store look good. "God, no."

"Come on, Andi! You were the first to see and be attacked by the newly escaped Joker! You have to do this!" I groaned and sighed. This was going to be a very interesting few weeks, and there was no way in hell Trevor was going to let me escape any of it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Two weeks later, I was back on my feet and somehow had managed to avoid the press that kept calling my place of work. My side had healed, and I was able to go back to work now. In my 'honor' a few of my co-workers and one of the store's stock holder were throwing a 'Welcome Back' and 'You Saved the Store' party at some club in the upper class part of the city. Of course, the Gotham Winn Dixie stock holder was paying for all of it. It was probably just a publicity stunt and a way to make sure I didn't sue the company. Though the idea of actually going into the act and suing my own job never really appealed to me. Mr. Bruce Wayne was scheduled to appear that evening, no doubt with a model or two on each arm, or the Russian ballet, or just to mix it up, a singer or actress.

I tried to look anything but an impoverished cashier, but I didn't think it was working too well. I had on a short and slinky black halter dress and some black sling backs to match. My hair was laying long on my shoulders. I had on makeup, earrings that I had never worn before and other jewelry that one would wear at a club. I felt off as I walked to the club. I kept stumbling, because I never wore these kind of shoes before and I kept having to stop every few blocks because my dress kept sliding up my legs.

The dress had also been another courtesy of Mr. Bruce Wayne, though I had never met him. It was a little odd how he knew my dress and shoe size, though we never met face to face. The only time he addressed me was on the news when he was making a comment about 'giving back to the community' by giving me a hand in my medical bills. The dress he picked, I had to admit, was also very flattering. I had to say, for a straight rich billionaire playboy, it all was a little creepy.

After about six blocks, I made it to the fancy looking club. The building reminded me like a metal piece of crumpled paper. I looked over at the line of people waiting to get in to the club. The line was blocked off by a red velvet rope. The line went about five blocks down the road in the other direction. I looked at the entrance. A large man stood there with dark glasses and all in black, obviously a little musclely in the arm section. He carried a clipboard and didn't seem to be letting anyone behind the rope. He wasn't really intimidating, to me at least, since I had to deal with men his size on a normal basis. I stepped up to him and he looked at the clipboard. "Name, honey?"

"Andi LeBravea." The large bouncer looked me over and then at the clipboard. He shook his head, frowning at me. "Is there a problem?"

"You ain't on this list, Missy. Go to the back of the line." His frown held. He wasn't kidding, apparently. I frowned in response and reached into my tiny purse I was carrying. I pulled out my wallet and showed the large my ID. "What the hell is that for?"

I felt my face going red with anger, but still I stayed calm. "It's my ID. Try this name. This should be the name on this list." The large man begrudgingly checked the list again, not breaking the frown on his face. Again, he shook his head. "What the hell do you mean I'm not on the list?"

The man shook his head again. "Second time, girly. Get out of my face and go to back of the line before I escort you from the premises. I mean it." He crossed his arms and frowned at me.

I didn't move. I was starting to get a bit annoyed. "Show me the list."

"What?" The bouncer looked surprised by my request, though I wasn't sure why.

I felt my teeth grind against each other a little. "Just show me the list. If I find my name, all you have to do is let me in. If I'm wrong, I'll leave. Just let me see the list." The man shook his head and held the clipboard to his chest. That was it. He made me crack. I was beyond pissed now. I rushed up at the bouncer and tried to grab the clipboard from him. I felt strong arms grab me from behind. A man almost a twin to the bouncer giving my trouble, but had longer hair than the man holding the clipboard had grabbed me. I struggled with him and let out a low, throaty growl. "Just let me see the fucking list, you bastard!"

My hair was started to get messed as I struggled. It took me a second to look up at the bouncer again, but when I did, I realized something. The large man was smirking at me. He lied to me. I felt myself get angrier. "Aw, Kitten, chill out. I was just playing. Of course you can go in. You're on the top of the list." Still he smirked at me like I was a candy about to be eaten. I was now on full blast pissed off mode.

I pulled away from the large man that had grabbed me as he loosened his grip on me. I stormed over to the bouncer. Still, he was smirking, finding this all quite funny. I grabbed him by the ear, but in a different way then I normally did with troublesome men in my store. The large bouncer stumbled, leaning over in obviously pain. I brought my knee up in a certain area and all I heard from the large man was a muttered "Oh sweet Jesus!" as he fell to his hands and knees on the pavement. I smiled sweetly as the people around us gasped in surprise and whispered.

I puffed my hair, blew an innocent looking kiss and walked past the crowd. Still, they were all giving me odd looks, but I knew that couldn't be helped. As I entered, a man in a silver suit took offered to take my tiny little purse for me, but I politely declined, starting to calm down a bit. I glanced around looking for familiar people. Most of the people there I had never seen before, probably because I worked the same shifts for the last two years, working with the same people. In the club, the lights were flashing all sorts of neon colors. A loud hip hop song I couldn't recognize was blasting from the large speakers on the sound system. The dance floor had a TV screen for every tile, and was continuously on patterns of turning blue, red or green with scantily clad women and some semi-formal dressed men grinding against them on the floor. Sheer curtains hung from the ceiling around private booths in the corners. There were already a bunch of people in them. I had to admit, for such an expensive place, it was nice.

I walked around a little more before finding the bar. It was just as flashy as the rest of the club. The bar counter was a slick, shiny black, but the wall holding the counter up was screen that was continually showing different angles of the dance floor and the people on it. Silver bar stools stood around the counter. It was then when I saw a familiar face. My manager was sitting on the end of the bar downing martini after martini. It made me wonder how many he had before I had gotten to the party, if I would have to drop him home this evening and who had been dumb enough to give the guy drinks. I walked over to the bar and sat down a few seats down from Trevor. He didn't notice me.

A man with long purple hair approached me, still standing behind the counter. I assumed him to be the bartender. He smiled a friendly smile, not the kind I got from some men when they tried to hit on me. He wasn't really off, but he just didn't seem right with me. I shrugged it off, though. I smiled back. "What will it be, miss?"

"Strawberry martini, if you got the mix." He nodded and turned his back to me to mix my drink. I settled in my chair and looked around. It was then when I noticed Trevor starting at me rather incredulously. The song 'Don't Cha' started playing in the speakers. I hadn't heard the song since high school, which had been years ago. Trevor slid off his chair and onto the one next to mine, still staring at me. The closer he got, the more I realized he was drunk. "Trev, you okay?"

He blinked at me oddly. His eyes were half closed. He was very obviously smashed. "You look…really hot tonight, Andi." He tilted his head to the side, as if looking at me from a different angle. "I mean really hot…like hot coffee spilled on my pants by a hot waitress to cool me down hot, ya know?"

I rolled my eyes at his sad attempt to compliment me for once in his short life. The bartender put my martini glass on the counter for me. I slide a few bills to the man with the purple hair and got up from bar stool. "Don't let him have anymore to drink. I don't want to imagine what might happen if he gets pulled over for trying to drive. Can you call him a cab? He'll pay." The bartender took the bills I handed him and nodded, taking a glance at Trevor. "Thank you." I then walked off, leaving Trevor at the bar. Tonight, I was not responsible for him. I was sending him home early, so he couldn't ruin this night for everyone else.

I mostly hazed through the party, just glancing around at everyone. I tried to blend in as I sipped my martini. A lot of people danced, but most of them were either desperate men or girls attempting to get a late night drunken hookup. It wasn't until 10pm when finally Bruce Wayne made his appearance. As suspected, he came with a blonde on each arm. Promptly after getting in, he let them lose in the club. He, however, made his way over to the dance floor and over the DJ. They seemed to be discussing something when the DJ stopped the music after the song finished and announcing "Yo, yo, yo! Bruce Wayne in the house and he has an announcement for a lovely lady!"

Bruce Wayne took the mic from the DJ, and stood in front of the dance floor. His 'boyish charm' apparently held a crowd easily. He smiled, and I was sure I heard a few shrieks from the fan girls in the middle. I watched, smirking a little. This was going to be interesting. "Is Andi here right now? Andi LeBravea?" Every seemed to be looking around, but no one noticed me leaning against the wall. I stood up and slowly and made my way over to Bruce Wayne. It took everyone a moment, but finally they realized who I was and they all started clapping. Talk about group think on their part.

I smiled gently and falsely. Bruce Wayne smiled back and held out his arm as if showing me off. "Andi LeBravea, everyone. " A few seconds later the applauding died down. Bruce Wayne was still smiling. How he could hold a smile that long, I had no clue. "I am sure many of you have met Andi at the Winn Dixie many times either when she is taking care of things up front or working behind the scenes to make the store succeed. I have never seen such a dedicated worker in my life. What amazes me more is how she took care of such a frightening situation. She put her life in danger for all the people and employees that day, even though she knew she could have died. She is a hero and a role model to all of us. Andi, as one of the many stockholders in that grocery store, I thank you for keeping our store safe." The people around us clapped again. Still, I held my smile. My face was starting to hurt from the smile.

As soon as the applause died down, Bruce Wayne Spoke again. "Now, I know you are probably wondering why we held this party for this party for you here, in this club, and in front of all these people." I nodded politely. Acting this way was driving me insane. Bruce Wayne pulled white envelope out of his pocket. "Well, here is why. Andi, for you I have a check here for you. This money is courtesy of me and the other stock holders. This is a thank you from all of us for letting the Joker only get away with a thousand dollars verses the thousands he could have gotten and the millions we all could have lost. Again, Andi…Thank you." He handed the white envelope to me and hugged me close after doing so. I was hoping he wasn't just doing this to get a cheap feel. It felt awkward so I pulled away as quickly as possible. I was really curious to how much I was receiving. I opened the envelope with all eyes on me. I nearly fainted at all the zeros on the check. A quarter of a million dollars. Just how many stockholders were there besides Bruce Wayne? I could go back to college now. Leave my dead end job and do something I always wanted to.

I started to slip the check back into the envelope when a thought came to me. The money was easily bribe money. I had been right. They didn't want me to sue or something of that variation. They were trying to buy me off with a dress and a large check. Normally I wasn't shallow, but in this case, I could afford to be. That was a lot of money. While zoned out in my little world, I hadn't noticed the panicked looks around me until I heard a gun go off. I snapped out of it instantly, noticing a bunch of burly men in clown masks and in the middle of them a face I wouldn't easily forget. It was the face of the same man who put me in the hospital a few weeks ago. The Joker.

"Well, nice party you got-ah- here, Brucey. Play boy like you couldn't possibly hold a party like this at your penthouse. No, too common for a rich play boy like yourself, eh?" The Joker approached us, a smile played upon his face. He glanced at Bruce Wayne before looking me over. He snatched my martini glass and downed it in one gulp before turning back to Bruce Wayne. "Well, pretty little thing you have here with-ah you. She adds a nice touch-ah of class."

Joker turned his attention to the scared audience of people. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Your host, Mr. Wayne-ah, has turned all his host-ly duties over to me for the rest of the night, so I am going to-uh, entertain you all another way. We will be playing a little game called 'Put All Your Valuables in the Sack or Else-ah'. If you want find out what 'or else-ah' means, by all means, don't cooperate. We have a nice little sur-prise-ah for those who don't."

Joker's henchmen came around with a few large sacks, their clown masks upon their faces. The Joker moved closer so he was between Bruce Wayne and I. Still, he smirked. I tried to hide the check behind my back and not make any more trouble, but there was no such luck. The Joker saw the check and snatched it from me. "What have got here-ah?" The Joker looked at the check and then at Bruce Wayne before snickering. "Brucey, Brucey, what is all the money for? Trying to cover something up?" The Jokers pocketed the check right in front of us. Didn't he realize he couldn't use that check with my name on it?

Apparently, Bruce Wayne realized this too. "You can't use that check unless Andi signs it over to you, you realize…right?" I sighed and rolled my eyes. That idiot billionaire. He had to mention that.

"Is that so? Hmmm…" The Joker glanced back and forth between me and Bruce Wayne. "Have a pen, Brucey ? I am going to have your lovely…Andi, was it?" I nodded. "I'm going to have Andi sign over the check to me right-ah now."

I glanced over at Bruce Wayne. He seemed to be looking for a pen as he patted his suit pockets and his pants pockets. He produced no pen. "What? No pen, Brucey? Ah well, I supposed I will just take your Andi girl, with me-ah! Get her to sign the check at my-ah place!"

"What?!" I shrieked. But before I could do anything to prevent anything, the Joker from grabbed my arm tightly, and pulling me through the crowd of people. No one attempted to help me, as they were all busy being robbed. Bruce Wayne looked annoyed as I looked back at him. I guess he hadn't expected the Joker to break in the place, and really they had no reason to expect it. Another thing they probably wouldn't expect is the Joker taking me along for the ride, though he easily could have held a gun to Bruce Wayne's head until he got the money and in cash even! Boy, was this man a nut case…and very bad at planning things.

The Joker's grip on me tightened as we exited the club. The funny thing was I was still holding my ground, like I had done when he threatened me with a knife back in my store and cut my side. Truth was, I was a little freaked like last time, but it wasn't the same thing. It was like I was used to this or something of the variety. The Joker pulled me along, starting to move faster and faster, making it hard for me to keep up in my sling backs and short skirted dress. Finally about three blocks down from the club, we stopped. I cried out in relief. The Joker turned and looked at me. "Can't have you giving our position away, now can-ah we?"

I looked at him, expecting the worst. He reached into his jacket's chest pocket. I closed my eyes. I had seen the movies; I could only guess at what to expect. I opened my eyes slowly, and saw a knife. He pulled the same knife on me back the story. He leaned forward and covered my mouth with his hand. I tried to scream, but nothing came out of my mouth. I felt something hit against my head, pain exploding through my head a split-second later. Then everything went dark and numb. I wasn't sure what might become of me within the Joker's grasp.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So basically, here is my issue. No one really seems to be showing enough interest to leave me a review. Leave me a few reviews, and the idea of continuing posting might appeal to me more. Well…review please! Quickly! They help me write faster!

Chapter 4

I felt like I did in the hospital. Things were blurry. I could hardly breathe. I had no idea where I was. Everything was pretty dark except for a few color figures moving about. A few seconds passed before remembering what had happened to me before I blacked out. As my vision started to come back, I realized where I was. The Joker's hideaway.

When finally I could make out everything, I tried to take every detail in. I was probably the only person to ever see this place without being 'employed' by the Joker first. It looked like an old brick building, probably where a fire had occurred some time ago. A green couch that looked like it would fall apart at any second was to my right, behind a TV that was older than I was. A large bald man sat on the couch looking bored as he stared at the ancient TV. To my left was a large fridge, a rickety looking table and stools and an ancient looking stove/oven combo. A bunch of men sat around the rickety table, playing cards and making faces at each other. In the shadows, I could see a winding stairway, and beside it, a pole that seemed to have no apparent reason. I looked up and saw a large hole in the ceiling that the pole was running though. It took me a second to think about it, but I could only guess we were in the old fire department's build that had been badly damaged a few years back. Not a bad place to live for a while, I supposed. Everything seemed intact other than a few scorched bricks and no one ever seemed to really be around the old building, so the Joker had been pretty smart in picking his hideout.

I tried to get up as silently as possible, but it took me two seconds too long to realize two important factors. One being, I was bound to the chair I was sitting in, and the other being the chair I was in made a lot of noise when being moved. A loud shrieking squeak came from my chair, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look at me. "Well, look who is finally a-wake-ah!" I looked around to see where the voice was coming from. I knew immediately it was the Joker's voice. I looked to the stairs and say him standing on the bottom stair. He was smiling at me, or at least I guessed he was. His face was still painted and his closed hadn't changed since he decided to rob the club. His green hair was slicked back messily as I had seen it before.

He slowly approached me, the smile not fading from his face. I wasn't completely scared, but I wasn't calm either. I sat there in silence, just watching him as he approached. His men were silent as well, probably wondering what would become of this little exchange.

The Joker stopped in front of me, still smiling. It boggled the mind how long some people could hold a smile for in this world, that is if he was indeed smiling. I stayed silent. The Joker turned and looked at his men. He pointed to a tough looking man with long purple hair that looked oddly familiar. "You! Untie her! The rest of you, get-ah out!" Without hesitation, the men obliged. Except for the man with the long purple hair, they all left rather quickly. The man with the long purple hair untied me and hurried out. Why did he seem so familiar to me?

The Joker pushed my chair across the floor, making loud screeches against the floor. No doubt, he would leave skid marks. I winced and covered my ears until I felt my chest hit against the side of the table. I gasped before I could push the chair back a little. The Joker took a seat in front of me. He pulled the check he had stolen from me at the club out of his pocket and threw it on the table. Before I could even blink, he pulled out his knife and stabbed the paper, right in the middle. I pulled my hands just as quickly off the table and looked at him.

"Let's make-ah this easy, hm?" The Joker pulled a pen from his coat pocket and tossed it onto the table so it rolled into my lap. I caught it. It was a normal ball point pen. Nothing suspicious or lethal about it. The Joker stared at me with his dark eyes. "Just sign-ah the check and you get to leave."

I looked down at my check and then back at him. "Just like that, you're going to let me leave this place, even though I can probably identify this place easily if I tried to come back? No threats? No violence? You're serious?"

The Joker looked thoughtful for a moment. I looked down at the check again. It was supposed to be my money and I was going to believe at any given second that a crazed murder like him was going to let me leave without so much as a threat with a knife as long as I signed the check? Think again. It didn't make sense to me, and anyone who would imagine that scenario had to be a complete moron. "All right, you're smarter than I pegged you for-ah. You're obviously not a complete moron like the rest-ah of the crowd you keep."

"The rest of the crowd I keep? You mean those people at the club? You mean like Bruce Wayne?" The Joker nodded. I sighed in response. "You're joking, right? I'm a cashier. The guy was just giving me money because I was the one you threatened back at the Winn Dixie about two weeks ago. I guess he was paying me to keep my mouth shut or something of that variety."

The Joker looked at me a little odd, as if not expecting me to act this way. "All right, girl. I think I like you a little more than I should-ah, so just sign the check and I'll consider not stabbing you in the back as you leave." I raised an eyebrow at him and lifted the pen silently. He smirked at me, and this time I could obviously tell it was a smirk. I then put the pen down again. "What's wrong-ah?"

I blinked as if it were obvious what was wrong. "Well, your knife is holding the check down. I need to sign on the other side. Wouldn't it be rude of me to touch something that isn't mine without your permission?" The Joker rolled his eyes and let out a small groan before pulling the knife out of the table. He held the blade end up to me as if waiting for me to take it. I slowly reached over and took it off the blade. As soon as I did, the Joker stabbed his knife back in the table. He smirked down at me again.

"You got the check-ah. Now sign it." I turned the check around and picked the pen up. I placed the pen tip on the line and then hesitated before putting the pen back on the table. The Joker made a sound that made him sound like he was growling at me. He then slammed his fist on the table, making me withdraw my hands from where they were. His voice raised in volume as he spoke. "Just sign the check, girly! I have had enough of you-ah trying to be smart with me!"

I winced before I tried to speak up again, granted I was a bit scared of this man now. Never had I know a man not to back down easily like I was used to when I stood up to them. "I don't want to sign the check."

"What's that? I don't think I think I heard you right. You 'don't want to sign the check'? Is that what I heard?" I nodded. The Joker let out another growl-like sound. "Why in the world do you think I care about what you do and don't want to do? Whatever gave you that idea, hm? Well, answer me!"

The Joker reached over and grabbed my arm. He pulled the knife out of the table and held it at my wrist. He pressed the knife to my wrist and I felt a sharp pain, along with a few drips of warm liquid down the rest of my arm. I did all in my power to not pay attention to the blood and not whimper at the slight pain. If I showed any weakness, he would do worse. "I…I can…ugh." I closed my eyes and tried to think of anything but the situation, but I was failing.

"You can what? Speak up, girl!" The Joker dug the knife a little more in my wrist. It was enough to make me bleed a little more, but not enough to cause any real damage to my arm. I winced again.

"Remember how little money you got from my store? I can get you more than that. More than this check is worth, too." I had was going numb with the pain in my arm, so I had no idea what I had said until after the Joker pulled his knife away. The Joker took his knife back in his hand and seemed to be stroking it like a mafia boss would a little furry animal like in the movies.

He looked at me, smirking one again. "All right, explain, girl. I'm curious."

I looked down at the table and bite on my bottom lip. It was now when I realized what I had done, what I had said to this maniac. I slowly looked back up at his grinning face and started to explain.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry this took forever, my loving, loyal readers. Had college exams and other 'fun' stuff that look a lot out of me. I have a lot planned already, but suggestions would be nice. Especially ones in forms of reviews. Plus, I'm off so I have more time to write. Well, you know the drill. Click the review button!

Chapter 5

When I woke up the next morning, I realized what I had done the evening before. I woke up in my own bed in my apartment, obviously a little hung over. The place looked horrible, probably because I knocked into everything half-asleep, half-drunk. I told the Joker a way to get money from my store only employees may have thought possible. I went over it all detail by detail, all while drinking down cheap sangria from a plastic champagne glass with a mad man. The Joker probably found me insane and stupid because I cooperated with him, but at the same time, he wasn't really considered the 'sane' one by most people. After he had gotten me drunk enough, around three am, he dropped me off back home. The entire ride was a little fuzzy, but at the same token, I knew he hadn't tried anything. I was still dressed in my clothes. Nothing had been ripped off of me or seemingly placed back on me oddly. I could stand a few drinks, truth be told, and if my shoes and clothes were still on me, there was a pretty good chance nothing happened.

I slunk out of bed rather slowly. I looked around a little and then towards my clock. It was nine in the morning. I had to be at work in about an hour. My apartment looked like a tornado went through it. I apparently had bumped into a lot last night. All the clothes that had been folded to be put away this morning were on the floor. My work uniform was off its hook in the bathroom and on the floor with many cosmetics I normally left out. I stumbled across the room and opened my bedroom window. The sun shined in on the messy, chaotic room my drunken self had left. I toddled into the bathroom, tripping over things and cursing under my breath as I stepped on things.

I looked in the mirror. I looked terrible. My makeup had run all over my face. Without hesitation, I undressed and showered. Knowing I had little time before I had to be at work, I couldn't relish the hot water on my oily skin. I washed quickly and got out, not taking more than five minutes. I blow dried and brushed my hair before tying it up. I threw on my clothes and smudged on a little lip gloss before hurrying into the small kitchen of my apartment.

The coffee pot hadn't been reset the night before, so I was without coffee on a hung over day. I shoved two Tylenol down my throat with a drink of lukewarm water from the sink. My stomach gurgled hungrily, but I was too nervous to eat. The night before I had also made plans with the Joker. Today, he was going after my store. I was going to be there during that process, and with any luck, afterwards, he would forget completely about me. Normally he didn't go along with plans, but this time, to some extent, he was going along with a plan.

I grabbed my purse, my coat and my keys before heading out. I locked the door behind me before hurrying down the hall. I cascaded down the empty stairwell, hearing my footsteps as I ran. The door to the building slammed behind me as I hurried down the road. I was in my own little world, not taking in too many details around me.

Ten minutes to ten, I walked into the parking lot of the Winn Dixie. It wasn't crowded, but it wasn't empty either. A woman was pushing her child in the cart to her car. I waved to her as she passed. She waved back. I knew very few names of my customers, but I never forgot a face. I started to cross in the crosswalk when I heard a loud beeping. I looked up, started. Henry, the Gotham bank guy waved at me and pulled up in the armored car. He cracked open his window. I smiled at him "Morning Andi. Off to kick more ass for the store today?"

"Not today, Henry. I got yelled at a few weeks ago for it. I've been trying to avoid it. Already make your drop off?" Henry shook his head and shrugged. My smile faded quickly. God, if I could only warn Henry of what I planned with the Joker out of desperation and drunkenness.

"Aw, well, you have a good day, Andi. Don't work too hard." He laughed as I walked off. I felt a little bad for what might happen today, though I wasn't completely sure of everything I had told the Joker about. I hoped he wouldn't show up at all, which was a possibility, but why had he let me leave then? The anxiety of what might or might not occur was giving me a headache. That or the Tylenol just might not have kicked in yet for my hangover. Either way, I had to be a little worried until the day finished.

I walked into the store silently. One of the pain in the butt cashiers, the younger, newer blood who thought she knew everything because she lived off of her daddy's money rather than live like I do, was already on the clock and taking care of a long line of people. Charlie was her name. She had platinum blond hair and stole from the store every chance she got for kicks. Of course, no one would ever believe me that sweet, little innocent Charlie with big boobs and a small ass would be a thief, so I kept to myself the little details of darling little Charlie being a thieving little bitch…for the most part at least.

I tried to duck in the back to avoid Charlie's eyes, but I had no luck. I could tell so when I heard her shrieking voice. "Andi!" She shrieked. I turned and looked at her. "Hurry up! I need to go on break and I am not taking care of all these people!" I rolled my eyes and pointed to the clock on the wall. According to the clock, it was five minutes to ten. I easily had time and I didn't have to rush. There was no way I was rushing today either, so I smirked at her, and walked off, despite the sounds of her shrieking behind me.

I got to the lockers and unlocked my lock, using my combo 12-2-18. I took out my wallet before threw in my purse and sweater into the locker and slammed it closed. I slipped my wallet into my apron pocket, in case I needed to buy lunch later, that by some off chance I would be hungry later. I leaned back against the locker and looked down at the floor, just thinking. Mostly I was worrying of what might happen…of who might show up…what they might do. I sighed softly and straightened up when I heard someone come in. I looked up to see Trevor slink in with his normal smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes and slumped back to how I was. "What's wrong, Andi? Didn't have a fling with Bruce Wayne in the closet like you hoped to?" I rolled my eyes. "What's wrong then?"

"Just thinking is all, Trev. Just thinking." I crossed my arms and stared at Trevor. He opened his locker and threw in a few magazines with a brown paper bag. I didn't really pay attention to the titles, knowing that in all the years I had known Trevor, he never read anything decent and that wasn't of the 'adult' persuasion. And what was in the brown bag, I would never want to guess or know for sure what was in it. "And you, Trev? What's on your mind? Remember how drunk you got last night? Hm?"

Trevor shrugged and smirked. "When I get drunk, I get honest. You have to hate that about me, right? Exactly how 'honest' was I?" He closed the locker, not taking his eyes off of me.

"Not sure I want to repeat what you said, but I'm sure you'll find out later." I went to walk away, but Trevor grabbed my shoulder. I stopped right then and there. "Trevor…what is it?"

Trevor was quiet for a second before whispering in my ear. "Come with me in the office."

What did he want to talk about in the office? Was I being fired? Was he upset with me for how I was speaking to him? What was the issue? Trevor backed away from me and started walking to the front of the store. I followed him somewhat hesitantly. When we got to the front, Charlie was still working through the line of impatient customers. She said nothing as I passed by with Trevor, knowing she would not be seen as such an innocent thing if she opened her mouth.

I followed Trevor into the office and he slammed the door behind me. I almost jumped out of my skin at the loud noise. Something was off about Trevor today. He walked past me and sat down at the desk. He patted the surface of the desk as if telling me to sit there. I hopped on and looked at him. He had an odd look on his face. It was a mixture of the kicked puppy look and a dog begging for a bone look. I wasn't sure what to make of it. "Trevor, what's wrong?"

He took a deep breath and looked away before mumbling something. He then turned back to me. "So how about it?"

"How about what? I didn't hear a word you said." I watched him. His expression didn't change. I sighed in exasperation. "Please?"

"Well…Andi, I um…" He started stumbling over his words. He was nervous about whatever he was going to ask me. I had never seen him any other ways than in his cocky self or his drunken self. This was something new and weird to me the way he was acting. "I have to be honest about something."

"Well, that's a first. What's up?" I looked at him with a curious look. He still looked nervous. "Trevor, you can tell me…It's just me, Andi. Your co-worker. Your friend. You can talk to me."

He still stayed with the odd look on his face as he stared at me. He was silent for awhile before speaking up. "Well…Andi…I have a confession. Remember what I said back at the bar last night?" I nodded. I was getting tired of him beating around the bush. "Well, I was drunk, but not drunk enough to not be honest with my feelings. Andi, I like you a lot. I'm attracted to you. A lot."

I stayed silent, most from a little bit of shock. A few moments later, I went to respond when Trevor leaned in. He pressed his lips against mine rather roughly, and moved his hands to keep my head close enough to kiss me. Still in a bit of a shock, I didn't respond. I let him kiss me. The kiss didn't last long though. A loud knock behind us, startled him and he pulled away. I turned to see Henry peeking in the window on the door, holding a large bag full of the store's cash from the bank. Had Henry seen the little lip lock behind the locked office door? I wiped my lips off with the back of my hand as Trevor got up. He pulled open the door. Henry dropped the gray bag on the floor, not breaking his normal cheerful grin. Was I sure he really saw us?

"Well, here it is. I have my key. You got your key, Trev? I have a lot of other orders to take care of today, so we can't waste any time." Henry pulled a large ring of keys from his side. They jingled and he sorted through the gold keys before finally selecting one. He held it up and slid the key in the large safe's lock. Trevor pulled a key from around his neck and put his key in the lock as well. Henry turned both of the keys together and the safe lock clicked open. I stayed silent, remembering who might be showing up at any second. I wanted to warn them. I wished I could warn them. But if the Joker did show up at the store again, and got caught, I could be seen as an accomplice. And to some extent, I was, so I stayed silent while they worked. The door of the safe swung open to reveal a few stray bills and a gray bag similar to Henry's bag, but mostly empty. "All righty then. Let's switch out the bags, eh Trev?"

Just as Henry picked up the bag to put it in the safe, there was a knock at the door. Trevor looked at me, and motioned to the door. I hurried over to the door, and without looking out the door mirror, I flung it open. No one was at the door. Something flew past my head, but from where, I had no idea. I looked around to see what it was. The guys paid no attention to me. It took me a second to realize, but something was smoking a dark gray smoke under the office desk. I felt around, trying to get to whatever it was, but whatever was in the smoke made me feel woozy. I pushed away from the desk and went for the filing cabinet on the other corner of the room. I flung open the bottom drawer and pulled out one of the face masks leftover from construction a few months ago. The rubber band that held the mask to my hand snapped against the back of my head, making me cry out slightly. It was only then when Trevor took notice of me and whatever the smoke was finally. "Andi, what is going on?"

Trevor started coughing, as did Henry. For some reason, it took seconds before they basically collapsed in a heap on the floor. Henry first, with Trevor soon following after. The door squeaked open slowly, and a familiar painted face stuck his head in. The Joker grinned at me. He had shown up, just as he said he would. I back away, my face mask covering my expression, though he could probably tell, I was a little freaked out. The Joker pushed the door open all the way, his men following right behind him. The smoke stopped as the door opened fully. It started to air out. The Joker and his men seemed not to be affect by whatever they released in the room. "Andi, good to see yah…Didn't warn anyone, I see, hmm?"

I nodded slowly, looking at Trevor and Henry. The guilt of what I was doing hit me harder than a train might. Sure, I didn't always get the appreciation, but seeing the people I worked with like this made me feel that way. "What's-ah wrong, Andi? The guilt of your first crime-ah sinking in?"

I nodded again, wondering how he figured it out easily. Did I show it on my face or did he just read minds? The Joker smirked at me and approached me. He stopped just short of my knees and looked down at me, still smirking. "Well, I can't have-ah people with guilty conscious on my team, now can I? They might go to the police-ah…and confess everything-ah… you wouldn't want me to have to hunt you down, would you now, Andi?"

I shook my head furiously. I just had one of those feelings that nothing good would come of this. "Of course not. I won't say anything to anyone. I promise. I'll move, I'll change my name. Whatever you want."

The Joker let out a loud, over exaggerated cackle."Well, you see my dear-ah…We don't know you so well…so-ah…you're dead either way now, aren't you?" I stopped breathing right then and there. He was going to kill me after all. That had probably been the intent since he first met me and wanted the check. I hadn't signed it the check, so though this mad man still had it, he was up the creek. He was going to lose money either way.

Again, as if reading my mind, the Joker went for his coat pocket and produced a wrinkled piece of paper. The check I hadn't signed the previous night was tossed at me along with a pen that barely missed piercing my hand. I looked up at him, obviously more worried than I had been before. "We aren't dancing around this like we did-ah last night. Sign-nah the check."

I looked down at the check. The check that would be my college money, and get me to a decent school. The little piece of paper that would help me get a better job and forget all about my wasted years. The little piece of paper that was keeping me from a better life. And I was going to give it all up to some insane person with bad make up. Who the hell was I kidding? I folded up the check and shoved under my shirt, into the middle of my bra. I could feel the paper irritating my skin, but I didn't care.

The Joker grabbed me by the front of my work shirt, and threw me up against the wall. I cried out feeling the pain in my skull moving down to my tail bone, a bruise that would remain in that area for awhile. He held me there for awhile, making my feet dangle about a foot off the floor. My mask fell off my face. I stared at him, feeling tears for in my eyes. I wouldn't let them go though, because I hadn't cried in almost four years. I wasn't about to start again. "Andi, Andi, Andi…Did I not make myself clear enough for you? I want that check. If I-ah want that check. You don't have a choice in this matter. You will sign-nah the check. You will hand it over-ah. And then I will have fun watching you beg for your pathetic life-ah. You don't get any recognition in this crime-ah. You don't get anything-ah. Now hand it over with your name signed-ah on the little line."

I frowned. I know he could hurt me pretty easily. Pull a knife on me, shoot me or even hit me. But why was I letting him push me around like this? Other than the fact that he was a bit crazy and painted his badly painted his face to look like a clown, he was just another guy I could throw out of my store. Why was I letting him get the upper hand? Why didn't I fight? Using all the energy I could muster, I pulled up my legs slowly and tired to hit him hard with my knees, all while keeping eye contact with him. I heard the Joker 'oof' in surprise. He dropped me on the floor, and for a split second, I thought I could make it out without being caught, but boy, was I wrong. I felt something hit the back of my head hard, similar to the pain I felt when the Joker had hit me over the head the last time. I fell forward, my head hitting the tile floor. I groaned and felt someone grab the ponytail I had tied my hair in. It felt as if they were trying to pull the hair out of my head. The room was starting to spin, and I felt sick because of it. I closed my eyes, trying to contain the dizziness.

"Uh…boss, we need to go. The police surrounded the front entrance of the store. The bank truck out back is ready to go." I opened my eyes again slowly and look up at the Joker. I felt something slam into my side a few times, and the Joker's face, came right near mine. The only things on him I could really make out were his eyes. They looked odd to me. They showed sadness, anger and amusement all at once. It was so weird to me. It was if the man had three personalities. The Joker pulled back, holding something that looked familiar to me. My wallet from the apron on my uniform. The bastard. He was going to settle for all the cash in my wallet instead of reaching down my shirt for the check. Well, at least he wasn't a complete pervert. I knew that much.

"All right, all right. I'm coming-ah. Don't rush me or you'll end up like her." The Joker followed his men out of the room. One of them was carrying the full sack, another was carrying the almost empty one from the safe. They left the office door open, so the alarm was still going off, letting us know someone had forgotten to keep the door closed while the safe was open. I stayed laying on the floor. I was in too much pain to move from where I was, and if the Joker had broken something, I didn't want to make it worse.

A few moments later, everything was starting to go blurry again. I wasn't dying, I didn't think. I think it was just me starting to pass out from the pain. I would have probably been able to count the bruises after this experience. I tried to concentrate on the sound of the alarm to keep me away, but nothing was working. I thought I was starting to hallucinate when I heard footsteps, but sure enough when I opened my eyes I saw a few sets of black shoes wandering around the office. I let out a small cry, thinking it was the Joker, and the sets of shoes stopped moving. A few seconds later, they all surrounded me.

I felt someone turn me over very gently. I opened my eyes again slightly. The lights above me were really bright and it hurt my eyes to keep them open, but I struggled to keep them open. I saw a man, hardly, but I saw him. He was a bit older and had large square glasses. He had an odd looking moustache, and his hair was graying at the sides. He was wearing a leather jacket and a buttoned down shirt. I looked a little closer to see a name tag. Before my eyes got heavy, I read the name 'Gordon' off the tag. Very softly, I heard "You're going to be all right, kid. He's gone now." And then my eyes fell closed, with everything going dark again.


End file.
